Closure fastener for receptacles



Jan. 3, 1933. v D. M. WENGER 1,892,743

CLOSURE FASTENER FOR RECEPTACLES Filed May 1-3. 1930 2 ffineets sheet l Jan. 3, 1933. o. M. WENGER CLOSUREFASTENER FOR RECEPTACLES Filed May 13, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet I I I mum Davzd WEZ gEI' VWaM/FWM Patented Jan. 3, 1933 PATENT OFFICE DAVID M. WENGER, OF LEOLA, PENNSYLVANIA CLOSURE FASTENER FOR RECEPTAGLES Application filed May 13,

This invention relates to closure fasteners and while it is adapted to general application, it is particularly designed for securing the closures of liquid holding receptacles.

The principal object of the invention is to provide the closure fastener with a knob or handle unitary with the closure for removing the latter, said knob or handle being so constructed that the normal pressure of the hand or fingers in the act of grasping the knob or handle to remove the closure, at the same time effects the unlatching as well as the removal of the closure.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof proceeds.

In the drawings, in which two adaptations of the invention are illustrated, Figures 1 to 7, inclusive, disclose a form in which the fastening means acts on the outside of the receptacle, the particular embodiment being a milk can, while Figures 8 to 14, inclusive, show the invention applied to the inside of the receptacle, the specific example being the closure of a washing machine drum, and being divided from my co-pending application, Serial No. 358,713, filed April 27, 1929.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of the closure in combination with the fastener constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the knob or handle in cross-section;

Figure 3 is a vertical diametrical section;

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 44 of Figure 3;

I Figure 5 is an end elevation of the fastener, only a fragment of the closure being shown;

Figure 6 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the bolts, operatively disposed;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the washing machine drum closure part of the fastener being shown in section;

Figure 9 is a cross section taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a plan View of the closure fastener, the knob and the overhanging portions of the closure being shown in section 1930. Serial No. 452,103.

Figure 11 is a cross-section through the knob;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary vertical section through one end of a locking means employed on the closures;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of one of the bolts; and

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a modified form of a locking means, in which the knob is substituted by a pair of spaced lugs with an intervening leaf spring.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, and first adverting to that form of the invention shown in Figures -1 to 7, the numeral 1 represents the neck of a liquid hold- 7 ing receptacle for example, a milk can, said neck being formed with aperipheral flange '2 which in the example shown, is formed by flaring the metal outwardly and folding it upon itself to form a reinforced bead, although any other construction of flange would be equally well adapted for the purpose of the present invention.

The closure is shown per se. at 2' in Figure 1 and in cooperation with the neck of the receptacle in Figure 3. The closure comprises a cylindrical portion 3 adapted to fit snugly into the neck 1 in liquid sealing said closure being formed with a disk-like or otherwise suitable cover 4 extending beyond the cylindrical portion 3 and forming a flange which overhangs the bead or flange 2 of the receptacle.

On top of the cover 4 is arranged the fastening device which comprises essentially the diametrically opposed bolts 5 and 6 shown in Figure 7 which are arranged so as to be simultaneously caused to approach or recede rectilinearly. Said bolts are provided with dogs 7 and 8 extending from their lower faces. 7

The dogs, when the bolts are in place, project through appropriately placed slots 9 and 10 formed in the cover, and said dogs have shoulders 11 and 12 adapted to slip beneath the bead or flange 2 of the receptacle to latch the closure in position or to be separated sufficiently to clear the bead 2 to permit removal of the closure. The slots 9 and 10 are relation thereto as is customary in milk cans,

of such width as to form a stop to limit the outward movement of the dogs 7 and 8.

The bolts 5 and 6 slide in suitable guideways or housings 13 and 14 riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the cover 4, one of said bolts being formed with a recess 15, while the other has a tongue 16 extending into said recess. 1n the illustrated embodiment of the invention a divided knob constitutes the operating means for the bolts, half of said knob being rigidly secured to each of the bolts. The knob halves preferably are formed with confronting plane faces 17 and 18 normally spaced apart, and said halves are formed internally with bosses 19 and 20 over which the opposite ends of a spiral spring 21 extends and by means of which said spring is ield in place. The tendency of the spring is to force the knob halves normally apart, and their limit of movement in a separating direction is determined by the abutment of the dogs 7 and 8 against the outer walls of the slots 9 and 10.

The knob halves are so arranged that the portion 20 on the right is secured to the left hand bolt, while the portion 19 on the left is secured to the right hand bolt. Thus when the knob halves are pressed together against the tension of the spring 21 the bolts are moved diametrically outwardly releasing the dogs from the bead 2 on the receptacle. When the grasping pressure upon the knob is let go the tension of the spring 21 separates the knob halves permitting the dogs 7 and 8 to come together into latching relation beneath the bead 2.

' It is to be understood that the most significant feature of the invention is the fact that the normal grasping movement applied to the knob for removing the closure from the re ccptaclc, automatically compresses the halves of the knob together against the tension of the spring thereby unlatching the closure, so that two distinct functions are performed by a single pressure of the hand, which to applicants knowledge has not been accomplished before except by a succession of independent actions on the part of the operator.

Another important advantage accuring to the present invention is the fact that the fastening means is entirely outside of the parts of the receptacle with which the liquid comes into contact so that the inner wall of the neck 1 as well as the walls of the cylindrical portion 3 of the closure and the inner wall of the cover 4 may be left entirely smooth and imperforate, affording a condition most conductive to sanitation and cleanliness.

It will be understood that the form of closure herein illustrated is merely by way of example and that there would be no invention to surround the fastening means with an upward flaring portion by means of which the knob and its appurtenant parts may be protected from damage in shipping the receptacle. Such flared extensions are old in the art.

Referring now to that form of the invention shown in Figures 8 to 14, inclusive, the receptacle is constituted by the cylindrical body of a washing machine, shown in Fig ure 9, the open end of which is reinforced by a stiffening ring 96 having an inturned flange 97. The closure 98 for either end of the receptacle 70 comprises a plate of frusto-conical shape, having a reinforcing ring 99 riveted or otherwise suitably secured to a flat flange 100 at the bottom of the closure plate 98.

The reinforcing ring 99 comprises a flange 101 secured to the flange 100, and an upright cylindrical part 102 provided with two diametrically opposite slots in which slide the ends 103 of locking members 104, which are slidably mounted in a channel plate 105 suitably secured to the top of the closure plate 98. The side flanges of the channel plate 105 are rabbeted to receive and seat closure plates 106 which cover each of the locking members 104 and retain them slidingly within the groove of the channel member 105. Each of the locking members 104 has its inner end secured to an upturned handle 107, and these handles are provided with inturned studs 108 adapted to receive and support a coil spring 109, tending normally to separate the two handles 107.

At the outer ends of the channel plate 105 each of the locking members 104 is provided with out-turned stops 110 and 111 to limit the inward movement of said locking members in the channel plate 105 by engagement of the end thereof. The outward movement of each of the locking members is limited by shoulders 110' and 111 which abut against inwardly extending shoulders 125 formed on the channel plate. As the several parts on opposite sides of the center of the closure plate 98 are identical in construction, they have been designated by the same reference characters.

As will be obvious from Figures 8, 9 and 10, the closure plate 98 may be applied to the open end of the receptacle 70 in any position of relative rotation between the closure and the cylindrical body of the receptacle 70. It is preferable to leave the locking ends 103 of the locking members 104 square in order to compel the user of the machine to pull the two members 107 together, for the purpose of permitting the closure to seat securely with its flange 112 on the flange 97 of the ring 96. However, it must be understood that the lower ends of the inturned ends 103 ma be bevelled, as indicated in Figure 12, by the reference character 113. This construction would provide for forcing the closure onto the ring 96 without the necessity of pulling the two handles 107 into contact with each other.

As a substitute for the handles 107 the locking members 104 may have their inner ends 114 upturned and separated bya leaf spring 115, riveted to one of said ends 114 and slidably connected to the other end 114 by a bolt 116 slidable in a slot 117 formed in said other end.

While I have in the above description de-- scribed what I believe to be two specific and practical embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is considered not only as involving the specific adaptations as shown but also constructions generic to the principle common to these embodiments, and that numerous changes both in structure and arrangement may be resorted to without transcending the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a receptacle having an open end provided with inturned flange, a closure for said end having a rim fitting slidably in said flange and also having an outturned flange extending from said rim to seat upon the open end, a guide secured diametrically across said closure, bolts slidable in opposite directions in said guide, each of said bolts having the outer end thereof slidable through said rim, under the inturned flange of said receptacle, yielding means for forcing said bolts into locking engagement with said inturned flange, and means on the adjacent ends of said bolts for withdrawing them from locking engagement with said inturned flange.

2. In a closure fastener of that type including oppositely disposed slidable bolts spring pressed toward one limit position of their movement, an operator for said bolts comprising a knob divided into complementary parts normally spring separated and of such size as to be grasped by one hand, the line of cleavage between said parts being perpendicular to that of the bolts, the spring means being arranged within said knob parts and in alignment with said bolts.

3. A closure fastener comprising a sub stantially round knob formed in two approachable segments, normally with a zone of space intervening, a spring housed Within said knob and arranged to bias said segments in a direction apart, bolts carried by said respective segments arranged diametrically in the direction of thrust of said spring, having the ends adapted to project beyond the closure, to engage with the object to be closed, said knob being adapted to be grasped selectively at points in a position to compress said spring for removing the closure, and at points in a direction perpendicular to the first position, for lifting the closure and object as a unit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

DAVID M. WENGER. 

